Desert Oasis Purchased and Protected

MONTERREY, MEXICO — November, 21 2000 — Pronatura and The Nature Conservancy today announced the protection of the best remaining examples of desert springs in North America through the purchase of a 7,000-acre (2,800-hectare) property.

The property, known locally as Rancho Pozas Azules (Ranch of the Blue Pools), is in Cuatro Ciénegas, a 200,000-acre valley at the edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the state of Coahuila. Rancho Pozas Azules has more than 70 of the valley's approximately 200 total desert springs, as well as other critical habitats, such as cactus gardens, mesquite woodlands, and desert grasslands and scrub.

The combination of a desert climate with a relative abundance of surface and subsurface water has made Cuatro Ciénegas home to a unique array of plant and animal life.

To date, scientists have discovered 77 species that are native to the valley and can be found nowhere else on earth. These include more than fifteen of Cuatro Ciénegas' fish species, half of the valley's crustaceans, and two-thirds of its freshwater mollusks. Some species of fish are found only at Rancho Pozas Azules, and some species of snail are found only in a single spring. By many counts, Cuatro Ciénegas has the highest concentration of unique aquatic species in the world.

"We are working as active partners with the local community in conserving their unique resources, not just outsiders assisting or telling them what to do. Ownership of Pozas Azules will help to legitimize and strengthen this local stakeholder status," said Ernesto Enkerlin, executive director of Pronatura Noreste. "This is the first step in a model that includes a variety of land protection mechanisms and that we plan to replicate in the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion and other key conservation areas in Mexico."

Pronatura will hold title to the property and take primary responsibility for its management.

Because of its ecological importance, the government of Mexico decreed Cuatro Ciénegas as a National Flora and Fauna Reserve in 1996 yet the threats to the valley continue to this day. More than 95 percent of the valley has remained under private ownership, water has been pulled from the pools for agricultural production, and non-native species have been introduced, threatening the unique local plant and animal types.

"The Nature Conservancy is striving to assist the Mexican government and its private sector to protect Mexico's incredible biodiversity," said Brian Houseal, director of the Conservancy's Mexico Division. "This is a clear demonstration that Mexico's private sector leaders are willing to collaborate with the government and local community to save this last great place."

The Conservancy will provide more than US $250,000 in financial support and technical assistance to help purchase Rancho Pozas Azules and protect the property. Mexican partners are providing matching support.

The acquisition of Rancho Pozas Azules marks one of the largest private land purchases for conservation in Mexico. The property will be protected forever using a conservation easement, an innovative legal agreement enabling the property to remain under private ownership. The conservation easement will be the first in northeastern Mexico.

Notes to Editors:

Pronatura is a non-profit, Mexican civil organization, whose mission is to protect and conserve Mexico´s biodiversity through the conservation of natural areas, the support of environmental education, and the promotion of sound environmental policies. Pronatura Noreste is working to protect and conserve the Chihuahuan Desert in partnership with leading international conservation organizations like WWF and The Nature Conservancy. www.pronatura.org.mx

The Nature Conservancy is a private, international, non-profit organization established in 1951 to preserve plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.